Casualties of Battle

Casualty Does Not Equal DeadCasualties include three categories: 1) dead; 2) wounded; and 3) missing or captured. In general terms, casualties of Civil War battles included 20% dead and 80% wounded. Of the soldiers who were wounded, about one out of seven died from his wounds. Over 2/3 of the 622,000 men who gave their lives in the Civil War died from disease, not from battle.

Antietam Casualties

Approximate Numbers

Union

Confederate

Total

Killed

2,100

1,550

3,650

Wounded

9,550

7,750

17,300

Missing/Captured

750

1,020

1,770

Total

12,400

10,320

22,720

Note: Because of the catastrophic nature of the Battle of Antietam, exact numbers of casualties were virtually impossible to compile. The sources for these figures are The Official Records of the War of the Rebellion and the Antietam Battlefield Board.

Approximate Casualtiesby Phase of Battle

Union

Confederate

Total

Morning Phase

Engaged

23,600

20,100

43,700

Casualties

7,280

6,580

13,860

Mid-Day Phase

Engaged

10,000

6,800

16,800

Casualties

2,900

2,600

5,500

Afternoon Phase

Engaged

13,800

7,150

20,950

Casualties

2,600

1,120

3,720

Source: The Antietam Battlefield Board

Worst Civil War BattlesAntietam was the bloodiest one-day battle of the Civil War. But there were other battles, lasting more than one day, in which more men fell. The numbers below are total casualties for both sides.